Protecting Our Tap Water: No Lead Water Service Lines Found in Virginia Beach to Date

With roughly 90% of the public water services lines and 85% of the private water service lines in Virginia Beach inventoried, Virginia Beach Public Utilities has identified no lead water service lines to date. In 2021, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released its Lead and Copper Rule Revisions (LCRR), which requires all drinking water systems across the country to conduct an inventory of public and private water service line materials in their service area.  

Committed to protecting public health by providing clean, reliable drinking water to its customers, the department’s efforts to inventory the city’s water service line materials include:

• Researching historical records of service line materials and plumbing code requirements at the time of the property’s construction
• Performing excavations on each side of the property’s water meter to visually verify the public and private service line materials
• Applying representative sampling to determine the service line material

The public side of the water service line is from the water main up to and including the water meter and is the responsibility of Virginia Beach Public Utilities. The private side of the water service line is from the water meter to the dwelling/building and is the responsibility of the property owner. 

Water service line material

Customers can search their address on the water service line material inventory map to learn the material of both the public water service line and private water service line serving their property. Because Virginia Beach Public Utilities is still actively conducting its water service line inventory, the water service line material for some properties is not yet available on the map.  

Customers whose water service line material has not yet been identified will receive a letter notifying them that their service line material is “unknown, but may be lead.” This specific language is required by the EPA. Customers should not be alarmed if they receive this notice, as Virginia Beach Public Utilities is actively working to ensure all water service line materials are identified and included in the inventory. 

What happens if lead is found?

Though the department does not anticipate finding any lead materials, if lead is found, the following actions will be taken:

• If lead is found on the public side of the water service line, Virginia Beach Public Utilities will replace its portion of the water service line.
• If lead is found on the private side of the water service line, the property owner will be encouraged to replace their portion of the water service line. The property owner could be eligible for financial assistance through grant funding to replace their private lead service line.  

As a reminder, to date, no lead public or private water service lines have been found in Virginia Beach’s water distribution system.  

Virginia Beach Public Utilities expects to complete its water service line inventory by July 2028. 

For more information about the Lead and Copper Rule revisions and Virginia Beach Public Utilities’ role in protecting your tap water, visit VirginiaBeach.gov/Lead.